Cantilevered pile transfer apparatus



p 0, 1963 H T. HAWKES 3,103,284

CANTILEVERED PILE TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. HTHEODORE ILQ'WKES BY PM ATTORNEYS Se t. 1-0, 1963 HT. HAWKES Y 3,103,284

CANTILEVERED PILE TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I t l INVENTOR. Fig. 2. 11. THEODORE HAWKES PM *PM ATTORNEYS Sept. 10, 1963 H. T. HAWKES CANTILEVERED FILE TRANSFER APPARATUS Filed Dec; 1, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR. H. THEODORE HAWKES 4. P W P ATTORNEYS 3,103,284 CANTILEVERED PlLE TRANSFER APPARATUS Howard Theodore Hawkes, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, assignor to Sonthworth Machine Company, Portland, Maine, a corporation of Maine Filed Dec. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 73,038 8 Claims. (Cl. 2146) This invention relates to apparatus for the stacking and unstacking of individual piles of flat sheets. 'It is especially adapted for transferring piles of paper sheets, individually and successively, from an untrimm-ed stack to a guillotine knife trimming device and from the trimming device onto a stack of trimmed sheets.

In my 'co-pending patent application, Serial No. 669,5 E5, filed July 2, 1957, self propelled transfer tables, each having leg members on three sides defining a straddle space therebetween are disclosed for a similar purpose, one transfer table straddling the untrimmed stack as it segregates the topmost pile and the other table straddling the trimmed stack as it reforms the same. Somewhat similar tables are also disclosed in my copending joint patent application, Serial No. 852,253, filed November 12, 1959, now Patent No. 3,017,041.

In this invention the sheet transfer table does not have one open side and leg supports on the other three side-s but, rather, has three open sides and a leg support on only one side. table can be advanced and retracted so that the table top, or platform, overlies either a trimmed stack or an untrimmed stack and a single transfer apparatus can both stack and unstack the sheets. In addition, three sides of each stack are visible and accessible at all times for inspection, the floor space occupied is at a minimum and leg room for the operator is greatly increased. Furthermore, the use of a single wall or frame support on one side only of the table, and extending froma floor rail up to an overhead rail, provides a builtein travelling side 7 guide for the stacks and the piles which assures the ver tical alignment of the sheets.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, low cost, transfer apparatus capable of performing both stacking and unstacking functions and having no immovable bridges, table tops or frames fixed in the way of the trimmer operator or of any other operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for stacking and unstacking piles of fiat sheets, individually and successively, which includes a pile supporting platform cantilevered on one side of a movable frame, but of greater width than the frame, whereby the frame does not interfere with access to the pile and only occupies floor space alongside the platform.

A further object of the invention is to provide cantilevered pile transfer mechanism which serves the purpose of a combined stacker and unstacker and can be operated by a single operator on stacks ranging from floor level to head level in height.

Still another object of the invention is to provide transfer apparatus having novel unstacking means consisting of a pair of friction faced, driven rolls at one end of a pile platform, the rolls being so spaced as to avoid wrinkling the under sheets of the pile While still permitting the pile to be slid off the platform in the direction of the axes of the rolls.

A still further object of the invention is to provide transfer apparatus with a power elevated platform cantilevered from one side of a self-propelled, thin, framed wall, all of the operating parts of the apparatus being housed within the wall so that the only lateral projection therefrom is the platform.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be By this novel construction the entire United States Patent 0 apparent from the claims, the description of the drawings and from the drawings in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, plan view of the self propelled transfer apparatus of the invention in one of the possible combined stacking and unstacking arrangements relative to a trimmer.

. FIG. 2 is a side elevation, from the plat-form side, of the transfer apparatus with parts broken away to show the operating mechanism, and

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in the drawings, 20 represents a guillotine type trimmer of a well known type used in paper mills for trimming the four edges of a pile of paper sheets. Trimmer 20 includes the cutting knife 21, feed deck 22, delivery deck 23 and feed gate 24. A suitable deck extension 25, having spaced pressure sensitive air nozzles 26, is provided and preferably a power driven paddle conveyor 27 is also provided, for automatically feeding individual and successive piles 28 of paper sheets to the feed deck 22 of trimmer 20. A hinged bridge leaf 29 may also be provided near the trimmer operator 30, to bridge the gap between delivery deck 23 and deck extension 25.

The self propelled transfer apparatus of the invention includes a single floor rail 36 which is preferably recessed in the floor and a single overhead rail 37, parallel to rail 36. Rail 36 may be of I shaped cross section for guiding the double flanged lower Wheels 38 and 39 which are journalled in the bottom of the thin, wide upright frame, or wall, 40. Rail 37 may be of T shaped cross section and suspended from the ceiling 41 by the brackets 42, the frame, or wall, having pairs of horizontally disposed cam rolls such as 43 and 44 in a groove 45 for engaging the rail 37 and supporting the frame 40 in an upright position for rolling between the rails.

A bus bar 48, leading from a source of electric power not shown, parallels the rail 37, there being suitable trolley mechanism 49 on the upper portion of frame, or wall, 40 fortransmitting power to the power circuits therewithin.

The frame, or wall, 40 includes self-propelling means 50 comprising the first gear motor 51 connected by the chain 52 to a drive sprocket 53 on the double flanged drive wheel 38. A switch control 54 on the outside of frame or wall 40 includes a forward switch 55 and a reverse switch 56, whereby the apparatus can be run on the rails 36 and 37 between the untrimmed stack 57 and the trimmed stack 58, by manual selective control of the operator 59.

A sheet platform 63 is provided for supporting a. pile such as 28 being transferred from the untrimmed stack 57 to the deck extension 25 and then being transferred from the deck extension 25, after trimming, to the trimmed stack 58. Platform 6.3 includes the free and unsupported side edge 64, the free and unsupported end edges 65 and 66 and the opposite side edge 67 which is cantilevered to the side 68 of the frame, or wall, 40.

-The frame, or wall 40 includes three parallel, upstand- .or wall, 40 and a shaft 79 is journalled in the lower portion thereof, both shafts carrying sprockets such as 80, 81, 82 and 83 for chains 84 and 85. The cantilevered edge 67 :of platform 63, at the forks 72, 73 and 74, is

3 fixed to the adjacent reaches of the chains 84 and 85 and the upper shaft 78 is connected by sprockets 86 and chain 87 to the second gear motor 88. Control 54 includes an up switch 89 and a down switch 90 to enable the operator 59 to manually and selectively move the platform 63 from floor level to head level for stacking or unstacking purposes.

Air flotation means 93 is provided on platform 63 in the form of spaced air holes, or pressure sensitive air nozzles, 94 in the upper face 95 of platform 63 and air ducts or conduits 96 connecting the nozzles to a plenum chamber 97. Air pressure means 98 is mounted on platform '63 to ride up and down therewith, the means 98 comprising a low pressure, centrifugal, air blower 99' supplying air to the plenum chamber 97 and a third electric motor 100 for driving the blower 99. A suitable flexible power cord 1 connects the motor 100 to the trolley power supply whereby there is air pressure for flotation purposes as long as the power is supplied to bus bar 48.

The gear motors 51 and 88 are of the reversing type and suitable power conductors 102 and 103 connect the same to the trolley mechanism 49 with the switches 55, 56, 89 and 90 in circuit all in a manner well understood in the art and not'necessary to describe in detail herein. The frame, orwall, 40 is preferably about ten inches or less in thickness and about four or five feet in width, while the platform 63 is six or seven feet in width to project longitudinally beyond both ends of the frame, or wall, 40. The projecting portions 104 and 105 of platform 63 enable the operator 59 to approach a pile of sheets, on the upper face 95, from either end and on both sides for pushing or pulling horizontally in any direction. The only floor space occupied by the apparatus is that between the wheels 38 and 39 so that there is always room. for the feet of the operator and a stack, below the platform, is readily visible and accessible at all times.

All of the operating parts of the apparatus are enclosed within the frame 40, the only laterally projecting portion being the platform 63 itself. The portion 104 of the platform 66 which extends beyond the end edge 106 of frame 40 is downwardly inclined to form a descending ramp 10 7 for stacking purposes. A trimmed pile 28, on platform 63 is slid down the ramp 107 onto the top of the trimmed stack '58 as the transfer apparatus 35 is retracted away from the stack, the side 68 of frame 40 serving as a side guide for both the pile and the stack.

Unstacking mechanism 110- is provided at the opposite longitudinally projecting end 105 of platform 63 consisting of a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally projecting spars 111 and 112 and a pair of longitudinally spaced, laterally extending, friction rolls 113 and 114. The friction faced rolls 113 and 114 are each journalled for rotation beneath the smooth, anti-friction upper face 95 of platform 6-3 except for the upper portion of the rolls, roll 113 forming the lateral end edge of the platform at 65 and roll 11 4 being aligned with the adjacent end edge "115 of frame, or wall, 40. Roll rotating means 116 is provided for turning the rolls regardless of the height of platform 63. An endless chain 118 is trained around a sprocket 119 on the shaft 120 of drive wheel 38 and extends upwardly within wall, or frame, 40 to a sprocket '121, whereby the chain is synchronized with the horizontal travel of the apparatus. A roller drive sprocket 122 is rotatably mounted on platform 63 to climb and descend in mesh with chain 118, the sprocket 122 driving the lay-up rolls 113 and 114 through the sprockets .123 and 124 and chain 125. The sprockets are arranged to drive the lay-up rolls at greater surface speed than the speed of horizontal travelof the platform 63 so that a pile of sheets will be drawn onto platform 63 with the lower portion of the pile under tension and unable to sag.

A suitable clutch 126 is provided on shaft 120 so that the chain 118 rotates the rolls 113 and 114 unidirectionally in the direction of the arrows as the platform advances over a stack, but does not rotate the rolls when the platform moves away from the stack in the direction of the trimmed stack.

In operation, the operator 59 walks with the transfer apparatus 35, working all around the platform 63 and operating the push button controls to advance the platform into an untr immed stack 57 with the spars lifting a pile segregating rod or bar 128 and the rolls 1.13 and 114 drawing the pile onto the upper face 95. With an untrimmed pile 129 on platfornr63, the apparatus is moved to the deck extension 25 and the platform raised or lowered to the height of the deck extension. The pile is then pushed by the operator off the platform 63 into the path of paddle conveyor 27, for automatic feed to the trimmer. Apparatus :35 is then advanced to receive a trimmed pile 130 on platform 63, then advanced over the trimmed stack 58 and the pile pushed down ramp 107 onto the stack. The apparatus 35 is then moved back to the untrimmed stack to repeat the cycle.

The stacks 57 and 58 are supported on suitable pallets 131 and 13 2, the latter having upstanding end guides 133 and 134.

I claim:

1. Self-propelled transfer apparatus for stacking and unstacking piles of sheets, said apparatus comprising a floor rail; a ceiling rail fixed above and parallel to said floor rail; a thin, Wide, upright frame supported between said rails and having wheels for rolling therebetween; self-propelled means on said frame including a first motor operatively connected to said wheels for driving the same; a horizontal, unitary, pile supporting platform cantilevered at one side edge to the side of said frame and mounted to move up and down said side; elevator means on said frame including a second motor operatively connected to said platform for raising and lowering the same; air flotation means in the upper face of said platform and air ducts said platform for supplying air thereto; air pressure means within said frame and carried by said platform to move up and down therewith said means including a third motor driving a low pressure air blower connected to said ducts; power conductors on said frame and platformconnecting all of said motors to an external source of. power andpower controls on the outside of said frame for selectively actuating and de-actuating said first and second motors, said frame being free of lateral projections except said platform and said platform being free of obstructions to lateral movement of a pile of said sheets except said frame whereby a pile of sheets on said platform may be moved laterally on and off the same in any direction except in the direction of said frame.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said frame is enclosed to form a hollow chamber, said self propelling means, said elevator means and said air pressure means are all housed within said chamber and the wall of said chamber, forming the side to which said platform is cantilevered, for-ms a vertical, side guide for a pileof sheets supported on said platform.

3. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein said frame is of predetermined width; and said platform is of predetermined greater width, each opposite end of said platform extending substantially beyond the adjacent end edge of said frame for rendering a pile of sheets on said platform fully accessible to an operator, one end edge of said platform being of decreased thickness and the opposite end edge of said platform constituting the curved face of a friction roll.

4. A combination as specified in claim 1 plus a first friction faced roll journalled at one end edge of said platform; a second friction faced roll, journalled in said platform in parallelism with said first roll at a spaced distance therefrom, and a power train operatively connecting said rolls to said self propelling means for rotating said rolls in a direction feeding a pile of sheets onto said platform as said platform advances under said pile, the remainder of the upper face of said platform being free of rotatable elements, whereby a pile of sheets may be slid off the said remaining portion of said platform in a direction parallel to the axis of said rolls.

5. A combination as specified in claim 1 plus a pair of laterally spaced spars projecting longitudinally from one lateral edge of said platform; a pair of longitudinally spaced, friction faced, laterally extending rolls journalled for rotation proximate said lateral edge of said platform, a central upper face on said platform, free of rotatable elements for free sliding of a pile of sheets thereover, a downwardly inclined ramp at the other lateral edge of said platform and means for rotating said rolls in synchronization with the travel of said frame on said rails.

6. Self-propelled transfer apparatus for stacking and unstacking piles of sheets, said apparatus comprising a single floor rail, a single, overhead, ceiling rail fixed above and parallel to said floor rail; an upright framed wall supported by and connected to said rails to run therebetween; a combined stacking and unstacking sheet platform cantilevered at one side edge to move up and down said wall; unstacking means at one end edge of said platform including a pair of spaced, friction feed rolls rotatable within the confines of said platform and a pair of spaced spars projecting from said end edge for engaging a pile separator bar; a smooth, horizontal, unitary upper face on said platform, including air flotation means, for free sliding of a pile of sheets in the direction of travel of said wall or in a direction laterally away from said wall; stacking means at the other end edge of said platform comprising a downwardly inclined ramp; power means, mounted within said framed wall, for advancing and retractin-g said wall on said rails, raising and lowering said platform on said wall and rotating said friction rolls on said platform and power controls on the outside of said wall, for selectively controlling the supply of power to said power means.

7. A combination as specified in claim 6 wherein said power means includes mechanism for rotating said friction rolls at a predetermined surface speed greater than the speed of advance of said wall; a clutch for rotating said rolls unidirectionally to feed a pile onto said platform only when said wall is advancing in one direction on said rails, an endless chain extending vertically within said wall and a sprocket, mounted on said platform and driven by said chain for driving said rolls whereby said rolls are power connected regardless of the height of said platform relative to said wall.

8. A combination as specified in claim 6 wherein said air flotation means comprises a plurality of pressure spaced air holes in said upper face and means movable up and down with said platform, within said framed wall for supplying air under pressure to said air holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,801,822 Sutherland Apr. 21, 1931 2,096,958 Clerc Oct. 26, 1937 2,765,928 Reimenschneider Oct. 9, 1956 2,876,913 Roth Mar. 10*, 1959 2,958,431 Curtenius Nov. 1, 1960 

1. SELF-PROPELLED TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR STACKING AND UNSTACKING PILES OF SHEETS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A FLOOR RAIL; A CEILING RAIL FIXED ABOVE AND PARALLEL TO SAID FLOOR RAIL; A THIN, WIDE, UPRIGHT FRAME SUPPORTED BETWEEN SAID RAILS AND HAVING WHEELS FOR ROLLING THEREBETWEEN; SELF-PROPELLED MEANS ON SAID FRAME INCLUDING A FIRST MOTOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID WHEELS FOR DRIVING THE SAME; A HORIZONTAL, UNITARY, PILE SUPPORTING PLATFORM CANTILEVERED AT ONE SIDE EDGE TO THE SIDE OF SAID FRAME AND MOUNTED TO MOVE UP AND DOWN SAID SIDE; ELEVATOR MEANS ON SAID FRAME INCLUDING A SECOND MOTOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PLATFORM FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE SAME; AIR FLOTATION MEANS IN THE UPPER FACE OF SAID PLATFORM AND AIR DUCTS WITHIN SAID PLATFORM FOR SUPPLYING AIR THERETO; AIR PRESSURE MEANS WITHIN SAID FRAME AND CARRIED BY SAID PLATFORM TO MOVE UP AND DOWN THEREWITH SAID MEANS INCLUDING A THIRD MOTOR DRIVING A LOW PRESSURE AIR BLOWER CONNECTED TO SAID DUCTS; POWER CONDUCTORS ON SAID FRAME AND PLATFORM CONNECTING ALL OF SAID MOTORS TO AN EXTERNAL SOURCE OF POWER AND POWER CONTROLS ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID FRAME FOR SELECTIVELY ACTUATING AND DE-ACTUATING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOTORS, SAID FRAME BEING FREE OF LATERAL PROJECTIONS EXCEPT SAID PLATFORM AND SAID PLATFORM BEING FREE OF OBSTRUCTIONS TO LATERAL MOVEMENT OF A PILE OF SAID SHEETS EXCEPT SAID FRAME WHEREBY A PILE OF SHEETS ON SAID PLATFORM MAY BE MOVED LATERALLY ON AND OFF THE SAME IN ANY DIRECTION EXCEPT IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID FRAME. 